The present invention relates to carton forming methods and apparatus and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for attaching carton reinforcing insert panels to carton blanks prior to folding and gluing of the blanks and panels to provide reinforced cartons.
Most modern container cartons are formed from unitary carton blanks which are folded along precut score lines and glued together in a high speed operation (e.g. 800 cartons per minute) by an apparatus known in the packaging industry as a folder/gluer machine.
Recently, certain container cartons, which are adapted to hold relatively high density material such as concentrated laundry detergent, have been reinforced with an insert panel which is attached to the primary carton blank. The primary carton blank and the attached insert panel are folded and glued in a traditional manner by a conventional folder/gluer machine to provide a container carton. In such a reinforced carton forming operation, each insert panel must be properly aligned with and affixed to an associated primary carton blank before the traditional folding and gluing operation begins.
One prior art device which performs the functions of alignment and attachment of insert panels is manufactured and sold by Jagenberg, Inc. of Freshwater Blvd., P.O. Box 188 Enfield, Conn., 06082 under the product designation "Inlet Spotter". A problem with such apparatus has been that they operate relatively slowly as compared to the traditional folder/gluer machines into which the carton blanks and attached insert panels are subsequently fed. As a result the cost for forming insert panel reinforced cartons is significantly higher than the cost for forming unitary blank cartons.